How to Prune a Fatsia Japonica

Choose a pruning style. Decide whether you want to reduce the overall size of the plant or train it into a multi-stemmed small tree. It can be kept as small as five to six feet tall or can be allowed to grow to 12 feet. It will widen over time and individual trunks can be removed to keep the plant narrower.

Prune your Fatsia japonica in the spring. Remove dead limbs, twigs and foliage. The wood of this plant is brittle, so use caution when bending the limbs. Pruners work well for all but the trunk of mature plants. Use a small pruning saw to remove larger limbs. Cuts can be made flush to the trunk since this is technically a shrub.

Clean up fallen debris. A clean growing environment around your shrub will discourage insects and diseases. Fatsia japonica will drop more leaves throughout the growing season, so regular cleanup is recommended. Fatsia japonica blooms in December and the spent flower heads should be trimmed away in the spring.

Prune again in late summer. This is a fast-growing plant and may need a second pruning if you want to keep it small. If it is being trained into a small tree, only the yellow leaves will need trimming in summer. Do any late pruning before the weather turns cold to allow cuts to heal before winter.